Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Email comes in from someone who appears to be perky young female all all smitten about your blog. Sweetie hasn't really read it, but will claim to have done so. What sweetie knows is that other people read it and she is pimping for a lawyer that wants to be read. That the topic of your blog has nothing to do with what her client wants attention for is of no matter.

And so yesterday, for the 58904th time, the email came, although this one was a bit different:

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my email. I am writing to you on behalf of Console & Hollawell PC, we are an personal injury firm from Southern New Jersey.

Your blog, http://mylawlicense.blogspot.com/, was recently recommended to me and since then, I have enjoyed reading the articles that you have published, they are entertaining and have become one of my favorite parts of the day.

With that being said, I was wondering if you might be interested in discussing a guest blog post from my law firm to your site. Our attorney, Mr. Richard P. Console Jr, would really love to put something together for your readers about medical malpractice.

Please let me know what you think of this idea, I’d love to discuss it in more detail with you.

Very nice, sweet stuff. Richard P. Console would love to put something together for my blog? Really? Richard P. Console has never heard of me, or my blog. Richard would love for you to continue trying to get him internet attention, and do that however you do that.

I was going to ask her to name the last 5 posts she read here, or how her clients feel about her opinion that my anti-cheesy marketing posts are her "favorite part of the day," but I didn't want to be mean in my response:

On Jul 30, 2012, at 10:39 PM, "Brian Tannebaum" wrote:

So this is your job? Sending emails to lawyer bloggers trying to get guest posts for your client? Does he have his own blog? What's the address? Why would I want an article on medical malpractice on a legal ethics blog, other than that your client wants a place to pimp his practice?

Pretty pathetic.

Brian Tannebaum

And as internet marketers love to engage in discussions when they sense criticism, she responded:

I'm sorry if I upset you.

I won't contact you again.

I asked:

Why don't you not contact any lawyers again? Why don't you tell your client to write his own blog instead of trying to glom off of other bloggers? Tell him its a dumb idea.

Brian Tannebaum

No response. Emily wont. It's her job. Richard P. Console wants attention on the internet and if people aren't going to read his stories of death and accidents on his blog and hire him, then the next best thing is to find other lawyer's blogs and invite himself to the party through Emily.

I'm not a big "invite yourself to the party" guy. I like to be invited. I often turn down the invitation, as I don't even have time to blog here as much as I'd like. But when lawyers want and need attention, they just ask for it, or have others ask for them. Attention isn't something that people pay on their own anymore through good work and referrals, it's something we lawyers for which we lawyers prostitute ourselves, apparently.

The internet is a wonderful and horrible place. Lawyers have turned it in to a sewer. Lawyers have shown themselves to always be the first to discuss how something new on the internet can help them "make money as a lawyer." We are in everyone's face on the internet, discussing how every new website can help us get clients. We embarrass ourselves. Whole perceived careers have been faked by people claiming they can help lawyers make money on the internet by typing and posting.

Richard P. Console has an internet marketer inviting him to other people's blogs. Why does he want to write for your blog? Why does he want to write for your blog that has nothing to do with his practice? Why does he blog?

Richard P. Console would like to write for your blog so that he can get more attention on the internet. He wants other bloggers to give him attention so that he can get clients. As a friendly, giving type, I want to help Richard P. Console get clients, and I hope his presence on my blog helps.

Anonymous comments are welcome as long as they say something relevant and half-way intelligent and aren't a vehicle for a coward to attack someone. I trust you understand.

Located in Miami, Florida, Brian Tannebaum practices Bar Admission and Discipline and Criminal Defense. He is the author of I Got A Bar Complaint.

How wonderful Micah. I hope you showed him the appreciation he deserves for all the help and advice he gave you. Its always important to do that, whether you pay them or not. You never want your fellow lawyers to think you're some mooching unappreciative scumbag just looking for a bunch of free advice.

I hope that when I eventually meet my friend Paul one day he tells me how much you showed your appeciation.